Wait... What did I forget?!By Michael Ca.


Throughout the Bible, God demands loyalty from all of his creations. In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God orders Lot and his family to flee the city and to never look back. But as they flee, Lot's wife disobeys God and looks back, and is promptly turned into a pillar of salt. This wiki will detail the conversation that occurred between God and Lot after God turned Lot's wife into a pillar of salt, highlighting their distinct characters along with the audio recording with sound effects. This wiki includes character analysis, artist/passage analysis, a dialogue analysis, and a reflection of the process.

Audio




Dialogue
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Lot Fleeing Sodom with his Daughters God

Lot's Wife: "Oh shoot, I forgot my apron!"


SWHOOSH

Lot: "Aw God!?"

God: "What."

Lot: "Did you really have to turn her to pillar of salt? I mean, you went through all that trouble to save us in the first place, and then you just go around turning her into a pillar of salt!?!"

God: "Can I, the Lord Almighty, be the one to blame?"Lot: "Well... yeah... I mean, kinda."

God: "My instructions were simple. Leave now. Don't Look Back."


Lot: "Yeah, but why, I mean, she was my wife, and I kinda liked her."

God: "She disobeyed what I asked of her. And it was her fault for looking back and forgetting her apron."

Lot: "Really? That's why she looked back?"

God: "Yup."

Lot: "That's kinda dumb, but then again, she was still my wife."

(Lightning)

God: "Look. I just spared your life. The least you could do is to obey what I said and trust that I will keep you safe. If you want to argue, I should just smite you now and put and end to all this whimpering."

Lot: "Okay, okay, Im sorry. But where am I going to get a new wife? I can't really just go back to Sodom and get a new one."

God: "Your daughters will figure something out for you."

Lot: "What? I was too busy stopping my two daughters from looking back, what did you say?"

God: "Nothing."

Lot: "Well, what happens now?"

God: "There is no reason for you to know. Just follow the instructions and you will be fine."

Lot: "No, I'm serious. What happens now."

God: "I'd tell you if it was even a little bit important to anyone but you."

Lot: "Well, it's important to my daughters."

God: "No."

Lot: "Ppppplllllllleeeeeeaaaaassssseeee?!?"

God: "No, I need to turn you into a lesson about the dangers of drugs and liquor.'

Lot: "Fine, be stingy. But because it seems that you like me for some reason, can you not make us go to the hills? There is that small city over there
that's closer. Zoar, I believe."

God: "Fine. Now just keep walking, and trust me, you will be safe!"

Lots: "Alright... I will just keep walking toward Zoar then... and slip into a meaningless existence which no one cares enough to write about."

God: "All as planned."

Lot: "What?"

God: "I never said anything."

Lot's Daughters: "Daddy, who are you talking to?"

Lot: "God, honey, don't interrupt."

Lot's Daughters: "Sorry daddy."

Lot: "God, can I ask a question?"

God: "Sure."

Lot: "Why do I have a feeling that, later in my almost meaningless existence, I will be made into a lesson about the dangers of drinking?"

God: "Only time, and a few bottles of wine, can tell."

Lot: "Really? I thought you were like, omniscient or something?"

(More lightning)

Lot: "Alright alright! Thanks for like, saving us God, I really appreciate it."

God: "Just keep to your instructions and you will not be harmed. Mostly."

(Awkward silence)

God: "... ... ... Well, this has been fun, but I have to go instruct your brother to go do the exact thing that I told you not to do."

Lot: "But wait!?! I have so many questions?!"

- Silence -

Lot: "God?"

- Silence -

Lot: "Shoot."
sodom.jpg

Character Analysis
Lot is a rather frustrating character in that although he shows humility outwardly (as shown in his interaction with the angels), he is hesitant and shows lack of resolve. Although he shows some commendable qualities when he takes the guests (angels) in and protects them, this might just be what is expected of a good host culturally and in his traditional norm. Lot is finicky and afraid, and cannot simply follow what God (through his angels) tells him to do for his own safety. He has difficulty putting control in someone else’s hand and he negotiates and tries to take things into his own hands even when God is mercifully trying to take him out of danger. When instructed to leave the city, he “lingers” and negotiates to flee to the next city over, Zoar, instead of to the hills “…for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die. Look, that city is near enough to flee to…” (Gen. 19.19-20) Raffaello’s depiction of Lot and his daughters shows him, downcast and resigned to what he cannot control, eventually leading his two daughters out of destruction, while his wife, who also cannot follow simple instructions, looks back and becomes a pillar of salt. Eventually, he goes to the hills and hides in a cave and lives there because he’s “afraid to stay in Zoar.” This shows how he lacks resolve in his decisions and is a man who acts out of fear instead of trust in God’s instructions. Lot’s initial interactions with the angels show that he is respectful on the surface, however, ultimately, he is hesitant and unwilling to follow the angel’s instructions and chooses to do things his own way, even when he ends up in the same place where the angels had directed him from the beginning.

Although God may appear condescending, his protective and merciful nature prevails when he saves Lot and Lot’s daughters from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The depiction of God in the painting The Creation, by Michaelangelo, may also be a good depiction of what God might have looked like in his interaction with Lot. God lays among the clouds and angels with his eyes angled downward, with an intense gaze that recognizes the struggle that his creations will experience in their waywardness. The downward glance reflects a look of a parent to a child, who needs instructions to stay safe, whether the child follows or not. Although Lot is not readily willing to follow instructions to reach safety, God protects him and, being merciful, allows him the “favor” of choosing where he wants to flee to. Also, God “being merciful... brought [Lot] out and left him outside the city.” (Gen. 19.16). Despite Lot’s hesitation and lack of trust in God’s instructions, God protects Lot, and also shows that he kept his promise to Abraham (Gen. 19.29) by saving Lot’s life and his daughters’ while everyone around them perished, proving his mercy towards his creations.

Chart Genesis_CHART_LLLLLLLLL.jpg


Artist Analysis The Sistine Chapel portrays one of the most intricate and detailed scenes in the world. This master piece was painted by Michelangelo, a Renaissance sculptor and painter born in 1475 AD, who was commissioned by the Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling of the new Sistine Chapel in 1505 AD. Other of Michelangelo's works include The David statue and The Moses.

To Learn more on Michelangelo, click
here .

Raffaelo Sanzio (1483 - 1520) was one of three major Renaissance painters, together with Michelangelo and Leanardo di Vinci. Raffaelo's major work is recorded in the Apostolic palace in the Vatician, with his most famous work being the The School of Athens. Raffaelo roamed for most of his life from town to town in Northern Italy, visiting the cities and learning from each one, in turn chaning his own styles of painting.

To Learn more on Raffaelo Sanzio, click
here .

Dialogue AnalysisThis dialogue takes place after Lot eventually departs from Sodom. Even after he has decided to leave, you can sense Lot's lack of resolve and trust in God when he confronts God for what God did to his wife: "Aw God! Did you really have to turn her into a pillar of salt?!" This trait comes again later when Lot acts as if he is an equivalent of God by saying, "Fine, be stingy..." This quote also portrays Lot's apparent lack of trust in God. But as the dialogue continues, Lot changes his tone and his speach to portray his more pious side, by thanking God for his actions toward saving them. On the other hand, God also portrays his different traits in the dialogue. God's condescending side pokes through his veil of ultimate wisdom when tried by Lot: "Look, I just saved your life. The least you could do is obey what I say..." But, God's more reasonable side does come through in the end, when he says to Lot, "Well, this has been fun, but I have to go instruct your brother to go do the exact thing that I told you not to do." God's reasonable side shows because, even though Lot has acted terribly, he still will honor the promise he made to Abraham.


ReflectionThis project really appeared out of the blue for me. About two weeks before it was due, I had yet to contemplate the seriousness of this project. The major challenge, thanks to procrastination, was to manage a ton of work to be done in a short amount of time. Despite the late start, I somehow managed to finish in time.

Even with this new resolve, there were some challenges. One of these challenges included dealing with Audacity, the sound program used to create the audio at the top of the page. This program gave me continual stress, in that there was always something going wrong with the file, and it was not a easy process to edit.

On the other hand, I learned a lot from this project. Not only did this project teach me to plan ahead, but it also taught me how to analyze my own work and think critically about how I want to present the dialogue to convey the content.
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Citations

"Michelangelo." Mark Harden's Artchive. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/michelangelo.html>.
"The Mighty Acts of God – Sodom and Gomorrah." Bethel Church of God. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.bethelcog.org/church/mighty-acts-of-god/sodom-gomorrah>.
"Raphael's Paintings." El Reloj De Sol - Www.elrelojdesol.com. Web. 20 May 2010. <http://www.elrelojdesol.com/raphael/gallery/index.htm>.